


Looking Down On The Clouds

by Emechan



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, Homophobia, Larry Stylinson Is Real, M/M, Other, Platonic Soulmates, Queer Themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-17
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-23 10:37:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3764992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emechan/pseuds/Emechan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>2015 is a rough, strange year. Zayn's gone, and the guys are leaving Modest for another, more little and brand new label. Why? What could be the reason the four are taking such a risk? Aren't they afraid because they are already too famous to care?<br/>A secret, well kept for long, seems the trigger. Point, shoot, fire. BOOM.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Looking Down On The Clouds

If this is how my life is going to be from now on, I don't know if I'm ready. The camera flashes hurt my pretty much always photosensitive eyes, and I find myself thinking about how often famous people wear sunglasses. It's not for hiding from flashes, but to be protected from them. Yeah, it must be.

I'm not famous, no, nothing like that. Although maybe after this I'll get some unwanted attention. I don't want to think about it right now. I must remain calm or I'll ruin everything. We need this. They need this.

I take a deep breath, get closer to the mic.

"Good afternoon. Most people know me as Em Butterbit, so I'm going to introduce myself as that. I'm the owner of Patronus Enterprises, including the Hear Me Roar music label. I'm here to clarify all the questions and rumours which have been wandering around, or at least as many as I can."

A pause. I let that sink into their brains. I'm answering what I want, not what you expect me to.

"Having finished their contract with the music label Modest, One Direction has already signed a new contract with us and they will be starting to work on their new album very soon. We are happy to have them here, although to be honest, you are way more press than I'm used to."

I stop and hear them laughing a little bit. I make my pauses based on what I've seen many showpeople/comedians/etc do. They talk then wait for the response. Then talk again.

"I'm going to start for the media I already know. They have been very helpful getting the public to know my other musicians and I think I owe them that."

My staff has located them front row. I perfectly know which press has spoken about my label and which not. They probably think I don't because there are more and more artists who sign with my label everyday and I have my team working with everything, since this is just part of the company and I have my own job… but I know each of them clearly. I point a finger to the closest one, an alternative rock-related magazine whose reporter must be overwhelmed since they are focused on barely known bands and this is too huge.

"Ms Butterbit, good to speak to you again. You probably don't remember, but a couple of months ago—"

"I remember perfectly, you were the first media interested in us, and for that I'm grateful but— I'm asking you and every each of you to get to the point so we can give everyone a chance to do their question, will you please do so?"

He gets a little nervous so he stutters a little when he speaks again.

"Yeah, uh— we are surprised by this change of path on Patronus' interests. We thought you were a label focused on those unknown artists rejected by bigger companies or the ones whose…lifestyles or beliefs or points of view didn't 'match with the society', as you could say. Apart from being all kinds of alternative music and not just the regular poppies. But now you have signed with a famous boyband who don't seem to have any of those issues and whose music doesn't really fit with the rest of your musicians. Apart from being barely nothing more than a money machine."

I want to punch this guy, grab his tongue and pull it out to strangle him with it, but instead I put my most innocent face and try what I intend to be a sweet but cold tone in my voice when I reply:

"I'm sorry you're so misinformed then", I play a pitiful shaking of my head, "but that's not what Hear Me Roar is about. We have plenty of musicians and they play different kinds of music. Precisely a thing we try to avoid here is labelling everything as main music industry does, letting our artists play what they feel and discover new sounds. We are proud of that because it's been proven to be a successful move and the reason why our deals increase every day."

I move my head to do a panoramic view of my public from the stage. They all want something, they're eager for the dirty laundry, the scandal, the stain. I grab the mic and start pacing around, slowly, with as much calm as I can.

«Don't let them smell your fear» , a voice in my head whispers.

"Sure, the boys in One Direction are the most famous people we've ever dealt with. I'm not thrilled when I think about what this means from now on for me and for my company. It's too much!" , I open my arms in a dramatic gesture. "But I met them and I felt they needed this. I made an offer. They took it. So maybe they thought it was good for them. I'm happy if I make money out of this, of course. That'll pay for other projects, or my people's salaries."

I stare for a moment at my staff on a side of the stage where Sarah smiles widely and I am not alone. I have my friends in this, no matter how huge it seems.

I manage to get through similar questions by surfing the wave and not letting it drown me at any time, until the subject is driven somewhere else.

The boy is new, or so I assume by his nervous behaviour. He looks at me with utter panic more like the passive-aggressive attitude of the rest. I pity him a little; I fear he's going to do the kind of question he actually does.

"You're— you're known for your speeches defending the LGBT people—"

"LGBTQA+", I immediately and unconsciously correct him.

"I beg your pardon?", he looks terrified.

"It's LGBTQA+", I refrain myself from sighing, "the Q stands for queer and the A for asexual and there's also a plus for other non-binary people who don't fit in any of those categories for whatever reason or just don't want to fit in them because they feel it doesn't really apply to them" Not so long ago I was unaware of all this too, so I try not to lose patience and just explain it.

"Ooookay…", he looks at me funny, but I'm too used to it to care, "the thing is, and many musicians here can confirm it, that you stand for non-straight people's rights, and that's the reason why many artists have signed for your label."

I can't help the urge to interrupt him again.

"Straight is not really a good word to use" Many friends have told me I use a teacher voice when I'm explaining things like this. "It implies that non-heterosexual people are twisted and somehow wrong."

"…my point is, with so much rumourology out there and this little thing One Direction's fans seem to love called 'Larry'—"

"You're taking a long round to ask if maybe they moved here because two of the band members are dating and here they can do it freely with any pressure at all. I'll make it easy to you. I don't know. I don't care."

It's a lie, of course. I do know. And oh I do care, I bloody care.

Suddenly it's madness. Journalists try to be the loudest asking the question: 'How do you expect us to believe that?'

"Calm down", I wave my arms, "calm down. The boys are all grown-ups. They decide what they do with their lives and it's not my business until it's against the law or against someone else's integrity. It's one of the first things I tell my employees when they start working for me."

"You fired certain musician for sleeping with his colleague, so you must know all that is basically bullshit."

Who. Let. This. Crap. In. Here.

"I fired this certain musician for ABUSING his colleague, so I'm afraid I'm not the one full of bullshit." I shot them my deadliest look. The iced one.

"But you can't seriously say you know nothing about this! It affects everyone! The rest of the band, the fans..."

"It affects. No. One. Except, in case it's true, the two parts involved."

The volume increases, there are too many voices, angry voices, disappointed voices, give us something to play with, they all seem to say.

Look, I'm okay with giving speeches and facing a public, but crowds, especially this noisy, are too much. I'm starting to breathe heavily, and soon I'll be fighting to catch a breath.

But then.

"That's enough!", I can't believe how strong Louis' soft voice can sound sometimes. Or how easily he takes the lead when he wants. "Stop right there. Tomorrow we'll make an announcement."

"But—"

"You can't—"

I am myself again.

"You all have heard him. Tomorrow. There'll be no more questions. Thank you for your time."

Upset murmurs and lots of camera flashes wave us goodbye. As Louis grabs my hand to get me the hell out of there, I know where the lenses are pointed at. The boys surround me like bodyguards, which seems ironic.

But the clouds have many forms, and even the darkest ones can produce a purifying rain.


End file.
